Things to do in the Chattanooga area this week include ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, Dolly Days, Mother’s Day events, children’s museum anniversary

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette File Photo / Ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham will be accompanied by friends Bubba J., Walter, Peanut, Achmed the Dead Terrorist and Jose Jalapeno for shows May 7-8 at Chattanooga's Memorial Auditorium. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette File Photo / Ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham will be accompanied by friends Bubba J., Walter, Peanut, Achmed the Dead Terrorist and Jose Jalapeno for shows May 7-8 at Chattanooga's Memorial Auditorium.

By Lisa Denton May 3, 2025 17 min read

Here’s what’s happening this week in the Chattanooga area.

Job seekers

A survey of 3,002 people by career guidance website career.io has determined the coolest jobs by state, with the top choice being an animator at Pixar Studios in California.

Also in the Top 5 nationally were paleontologist at the Feld Museum in Illinois, research scientist at the Hershey Co. in Pennsylvania, wildlife biologist at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and marine biologist at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in Hawaii.

Three jobs in Georgia made the list of the 140 preferred career choices: veterinarian at the Georgia Aquarium (No. 14), game designer at Hi-Rez Studios (41) and epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (115).